City Critters: Wildlife in the Urban Jungle

Read follows The Sea Wolves and The Salmon Bears with a thought-provoking investigation of the growing number of animals sharing urban environments with humans. “But how did we reach a point where having a black bear in your garden, while never desirable... is almost normal?” writes Read in his introduction. “Believe it or not, you can probably answer the question in one word: space.” In seven chapters divided by animal types (mammals like raccoons and deer, invasive species like the zebra mussel, urban standbys like spiders and pigeons) and illustrated with numerous color photographs, Read demonstrates how human developments affect animals’ abilities to thrive and survive, and leaves readers with plenty of food for thought. Ages 8–up. (Apr.)